Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on TCF7L2 Gene Expression in Hepatocytes of Obese Rats

Objective: Hepatic glucose release is greatly increased in the presence of obesity and related diseases. The research objective was to explore the impact of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on TCF7L2 gene expression in hepatocytes of obese rats. Materials and Methods: Out of 21 male Wistar rats aged 10 weeks years (220±10 g), obesity was induced in 14 rats by 8-week high-fat diet. The rats were then divided into normal (n=7), obese control (n=7), and HIIT obese (n=7) groups. Rats in the HIIT group completed 8 weeks of HIIT/5 days weekly, whereas the other groups were inactive. After intervention, TCF7L2 gene expression in hepatocytes, insulin resistance and glucose compared using ANOVA /Tukey’s post hoc test between groups by SPSS-22. Results: Obesity induction led to a significant decrease in TCF7L2 gene expression (P: 0.011) and an increase in blood glucose (P: 0.009) and insulin resistance (P: 0.019) compared with the normal group (P< 0.001). On the other hand, interval training led to a significant increase in TCF7L2 gene expression (P: 0.029) and a decrease in blood glucose (P< 0.001) and insulin resistance (P< 0.001) in the obese group compared with the control group. Conclusion: The observed enhancement in fasting blood glucose levels among obese rats could be linked to increased TCF7L2 gene expression in liver cells, which appears to be a response to interval training intervention. Nevertheless, understanding the main mechanisms responsible for observed changes requires further studies in this field.